Updated 5 a.m. ET, Dec. 21
An explosion Tuesday at a fireworks market about 45 miles outside Mexico City killed at least 31 people and injured at least 72, according to Mexican authorities. Another 48 people are reported to be missing.
A of the blast that rocked the open-air San Pablito market on the northern outskirts of Mexico's capital city showed fireworks shooting in every direction and smoke billowing into the sky.
WATCH: Video shows moment a massive fireworks explosion hits a market near Mexico City
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Another posted on social media showed people running away from the explosion.
Asà se vivió la tragedia en . Asà trataba la gente de escapar a la explosión de cohetes en .
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The Associated Press reported:
"Sirens wailed and a heavy scent of gunpowder lingered in the air after the afternoon blast at the market, where most of the fireworks stalls were completely leveled. The smoking, burned-out shells of vehicles ringed the perimeter, and first responders and local residents wearing blue masks over their mouths combed through the rubble and ash. Firefighters hosed down still-smoldering hotspots."
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto : "My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this accident and my wishes for a quick recovery for the injured."
This wasn't the first time the San Pablito Market, well-known for its fireworks vendors, has been leveled by explosions. The AP reported that a "fire engulfed the same market in 2005, touching off a chain of explosions that leveled hundreds of stalls just ahead of Mexico's Independence Day."
Then a year later, "a similar fire at the San Pablito Market also destroyed hundreds of stands," the news service wrote.
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